


Feathery Fight

by Not_a_Mastermind



Series: wing series [4]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2013-06-01
Packaged: 2017-12-13 15:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/825787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_a_Mastermind/pseuds/Not_a_Mastermind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little fun on down time gets a little out of hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feathery Fight

When I lay my head on the pillow at night I can say I was a decent person today. That's when I feel beautiful. - Drew Barrymore

“It was a defensive struggle to the end. A pillow fight. - John Braham 

 

 

 

 

Well this would be interesting. Their latest case in the tiny farm town of Orchard, Maine population 2,037 had just ended but the jet had mechanical issues forcing the team to stay in town for another night. However the hotel they had checked out of earlier was now full…so were the other hotels and motels. Apparently they caught the unsub right in time for the towns yearly farm equipment convention. And everywhere was booked up solid from the town’s two hotels, two motels, and even the areas small camping lodges on the outskirts of town. They got lucky however when one of the secretaries at the police station heard of their predicament. The good news was her elderly aunt was turning her large farm house into a bed and breakfast, the bad news was it was far from finished. But if the team didn’t mind a slight mess and crammed places, the beds were soft and the food great and the cost very low. It beat sleeping in chairs at the station as they had also just returned the rental SUVs and they were also being used. So taking their go bags they managed to get a ride to the opposite end of town to the house of Ms. Winifred Crowly. The property was vast including a gravel drive past a well kept front lawn with flower beds to a small garage next to a large two story farm house with extended covered porch. It looked like something right out of a decorative homes catalogue. Morgan whistled as they walked up the porch steps to the front door. The porch held two rocking chairs a small table two person swing seat and various potted plants. The screen door was open showing an oak door with swirling patterns carved into it and a half circle glass window at the top. Hotch knocked and a few moments later the door was opened by a tall willowy elderly woman. She smiled at them and pulled the rest of the door open reveling a small receiving hall.

“You must be the F.B.I. my niece Charlotte called about, come in, come in.” She stepped out of the way and gestured them in.

“Thank you ma’am” Hotch entered first followed by Rossi, JJ, Prentiss, Morgan and last Reid.

“Why don’t we all go into the parlor, and please call me Winnie, I may be old but I am not ancient” she smiled again and led them down the hall and to the right. The parlor was a spacious room with a couch, love seat, two lazy boy chairs, a large coffee table and small end tables next to the chairs. There was an entertainment cabinet along one wall and two book shelves along another. An old picture of the farm house with a family hung next to the book shelves. “Have a seat,” Winnie sat in one of the lazy boys the team following her example setting their bags at their feet.

“I’m agen…uh I’m Aaron, this is David, JJ, Emily, Derek and Spencer” Hotch decided since they were off the clock to introduce the team informally. It was somewhat strange but appropriate for the situation.

“Well it’s wonderful to meet you all. I do admit I wasn’t expecting so many of you but I’m sure it will work out. In advance I am sorry for some of the mess you will see, I just started on this new endeavor of mine. Some of you will have to share a room, I hope that isn’t too bad” ‘Winnie explained.

“Not at all we’ve had some tight fits before” Hotch reassured her.

“Alright, now you are allowed to wander if you like, but the east part of the farm is off limits, some of the demonstrations for the convention are setting up out there and I won’t want you to get hurt by accident. There is a pond if you feel like taking a walk on the west end of the property. The entertainment system is running if you care for the news or a movie, or there are plenty of books. The kitchen is open if you get hungry and I cook supper at six, breakfast is at seven. I only have two working bathrooms at the moment, one on this floor and one on the second floor, but there are plenty of towels and hot water. If you care to I’ll show you your rooms now” she looked around at the team as she talked.

“That will be fine, thank you” Hotch answered and they all got up. Winnie led them out of the parlor and back into the hall. The hall grew wider as they went, passing a kitchen to the left until they came to a open area. A closed door to the right and the landing of stairs on the left the hall continued on with a closed door at the end. They crowded into the space as Winnie stopped.

“This is the bathroom” she opened the closed door to show them a medium sized room with tiled floors, standing sink, claw foot tub with shower rod and large head and wraparound curtain tucked to the side. The toilet was between the sink and tub, a mirror over the sink and towel rack and supply stand on the opposite wall. “My room is at the end of the hall” she continued, “and I’ll put you girls in the room next to mine if you two will follow me.” She moved a few feet forward to another closed door on the left. JJ and Prentiss moved around the guys to follow her and they disappeared into the room for a minute. Winnie came out nodding at something the girls were saying but it was muffled to the guys. “While they get settled I’ll show the rest of you your rooms” she walked back to them. Hotch nodded and she began to climb the stairs.

The stairs weren’t all that steep but the steps were a little narrow and had warn patches from years of people ascending and descending. The banister was intricately carved but smooth under their fingers and the supports had vine patterns on then. The upstairs landing was a small square before enter a larger hallway then down stairs. The hallway was lined with old photographs of people and the farm with spaces for doors on both sides and another door at the end of the hall. They passed the first door on the left and Winnie opened the first door on the right.

“This is the other bathroom, much like the one down stairs” she moved away and they saw it was almost an exact copy of the other. She opened the next door to the left and gestured with her hand “Aaron and David this will be your room as your older and I assume higher in command you get the two beds, again I am sorry about the mess.”

“I’m sure it will be fine” Hotch answered silently glad she had provided two beds with the room. Although he had had to share before he preferred his own space and he knew Rossi did too. Morgan and Reid could face sharing better than they could and he tried not to smile at the idea of them arguing who got what side of the bed.

They peaked in as Hotch and Rossi entered the room together. There were two single beds with an end table and lamp on it between them at the head. On the far wall was a short long book shelf and picture of the ocean and a small closet door. Opposite the door was a window that looked out over the farm and full length mirror at the end of the beds. In the far corner was a pile covered by a sheet but a few end pieces of wood were sticking out. In the corner behind the door were boxes of tiles and a few pipes leaning against the wall. “I hope you find it rest full,” she said then turned to the two remaining team members “I’ll take you to your room now.”

She skipped the next door on the left and opened the next one on the right for them. “I’m sorry you have to share a bed and it’s a bit messier then the other room but I am sure you being younger you’ll manage. I can offer you extra blankets if you like and I hope you find it restful. I’ll let you settle in now” and with that they entered the room as she turned to head back down stairs.

The room was slightly bigger then Hotch and Rossi’s but it was hard to tell with rolls of carpet in the corner by the closet door and another covered pile of wood in the far corner. The other corner had two end tables with lamps and more rods leaning against the wall behind the door. There were two tool boxes and some door knobs on the top of the bookshelf along the wall. But the window was bigger and looked out across a wooded area and they caught a glimpse of the pond mentioned earlier. The bed was a plush and comfortable looking queen size with lots of fluffy looking pillows and quilt comforter. As Morgan moved over to put his bag on the bed Reid stayed in place still taking in the room.

“You want the side by the door so you can have the lamp on?” Morgan asked having not seen an outlet for Reid’s night light he usually carried. He and Hotch knew but would never say anything about it.

Reid gave a slight nod as his cheeks got a hint of pink in them before joining Morgan and putting his bag on the bed. Morgan checked his watch and sighed “Well it’s just after four, do you care to go on a walk like Winnie suggested it looks nice out?” Morgan glanced out the window before turning to Reid for his answer.

Reid hugged his arms around his waist and looked out the window as he thought before checking his own watch. “Okay,” he finally answered which made Morgan smile.

“Good, I’ll just tell Hotch on our way out, let’s go” he led the way back out into the hall, closing the door behind Reid when he came out. As they walked past the open door to their bosses room Morgan stuck his head in. “Hey Hotch, me and Reid are going out, we’ll be back in time for dinner.” That said he didn’t wait for a reply and herded Reid down the stairs and down the hall to the front door. When Morgan opened the door for Reid the sound of JJ laughing could be heard. She was sitting on the swing seat listening to her phone. Morgan had no doubt it was Will and Henry on the other end. He and Reid waved as they walked past and down the steps. They skirted around the house till they faced the west. The lawn was mowed for about sixteen yards before becoming unkempt. There was a foot trampled path in the grass that headed towards a stand of trees in the distance. Morgan took the lead and Reid followed as they set out on the narrow path. The grass got higher as they moved further from the house. It was halfway to their knees when they approached the stand of trees, a mix of cottonwood, oak, willow and maples. Just beyond that like Winnie had promised was a pond. It was a good size fed by a small creek on the far end and rain when it came. There were cattails along part of its east bank and lilies scattered about. A few Canadian geese had decided to stop for a rest and they swam around the cattails looking for food. Morgan and Reid just stood and watched for a few minutes before Morgan spoke up.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really” Reid shook his head. They stood there just watching for a few more minutes. “Why the babies? The kids were bullies, the parents ignored this or encouraged it, but the babies…most of them couldn’t even talk yet.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t think we ever will. But our unsub was so focused on stopping the cycle maybe he was, in his very unstable mind, thinking of the future. But whatever his reasoning he was wrong and we stopped him. That last little girl will grow up because of what you did, think of her.” Morgan looked at Reid, saw the sadness in his eyes as he thought about the case they had just finished.

“Okay” Reid answered softly but he didn’t sound too confident.

“Let’s take a look around, maybe there’s something else to see” Morgan put his hand on Reid’s shoulder. They walked towards the cattails, getting a closer look at the geese first. They checked out the creek which was nice looking and some of the taller oaks. Morgan even go Reid to tell him a little about the trees. “It’s time to head back if we want to eat” Morgan said looking at his watch.

Reid looked about noticing for the first time that the sun had moved a far way across the sky and dusk was setting in. Then his stomach rumbled softly and his cheeks flushed slightly pink as Morgan heard and chuckled. They found the trampled path and headed back to the house. Just as they turned the corner to see the porch Prentiss came out the door.

“Oh good your back, now I don’t have to yell for you like some lost children.” Prentiss made fun of them but held the door as they climbed the steps smiling.

“Don’t worry we kept in sight of the house mom,” Morgan joked and got hit in the arm as he walked past her through the door.

“Don’t back talk me mister I could have left you out there to starve” Prentiss shot back a mock scowl on her face. She came in behind Reid and shut the door before they started off to the kitchen. “Be sure to wash your hands before you sit at the table” she wasn’t joking this time. They both nodded and went to the sink when they entered the kitchen. The other were already there standing about. JJ was just whipping her hands from washing before moving aside for Morgan and Reid. Morgan let Reid go first, washing as Reid dried.

“Did you have a nice walk?” Winnie asked as she walked past holding tray of warm bread with steam coming off.

“Yes we did, thank you” Morgan answered following her and moving a chair from the table so she could reach it better. After she had moved Hotch took her place a large pot in his hands which gave off a really good smell. Morgan adjusted a pot holder on the table and Hotch set the pot down allowing Morgan to see it was homemade beef stew. Rossi appeared at the other side of the table with a bowl of salad. Prentiss and JJ helped Winnie set the table and soon they were all sitting down to eat. Rossi being older and quite charming by Winnies standards got to sit at the head of the table. The team would no doubt tease him in the coming days. Winnie said a lovely little grace and food was passed around. For the next hour the team enjoyed well cooked food and the company of each other. The mood was lightened with talk of Jack and Henry, the weather and a few stories of the past provided by Winnie. When dinner was over Winnie surprised them with a cheery pie. Morgan was glad to see that Reid had two pieces with encouragement. Since Morgan and Reid had been out earlier they helped Winnie with the dishes as the others went to sit outside for a bit. After the dishes Winnie excused herself to get to sleep and Moragn and Reid headed out to sit with the rest of the team. The girls were the first to head off to bed after Winnie a few hours later.

“Trying to get in some extra beauty sleep, I think you’ll need a few more hours” Morgan joked.

“If that’s all it takes you need an extra day” Prentiss shot back as she passed hitting Morgan in the arm again.

“Let it go Prentiss, he’s just jealous he can’t look as good without more than just sleep” JJ teased pushing Prentiss on before Morgan could retaliate.

“Hey!” Morgan protested “Their picking on me” he turned to Hotch who actually had a tiny smile on his face.

“Good night girls” Rossi called then turned to the others. “I think I’ll turn in too, and if I hear one word from you Morgan you’ll be so buried in paper work when we get back I won’t be able to hear you complain through it.” Morgan’s mouth fell open and he gestured with his arms at Hotch as Rossi passed him into the house.

“Don’t look at me for back up, you asked for it, you can handle it” Hotch said seriously but he still had the hint of a smile. They sat on the porch not really talking for a while longer before Hotch went in to sleep leaving Morgan and Reid to themselves.

They just sat next to each other in silence for a while before Morgan looked Reid over. The kid was tired and some of the good mood from earlier seemed to have dissipated. “Alright pretty boy lets go to sleep ourselves” Morgan stood and waited for Reid. Reid was a bit slower then Morgan but they made it inside and up to their room in good time. Reid took his sleep cloths and went to change in the bathroom leaving Morgan to change in the room. While he was gone Morgan looked around to see if there was a way to cheer Reid up one last time before sleep. It took him a minute to decide and a smile crossed his face at the image that went through his head. He finished changing quickly then sat on the bed arranging everything he would need and waited.

Reid had changed for the night, brushed his teeth and washed his face before heading back to the room he shared with Morgan. He was really tired and the case still weighed on him, although not as heavily has it had that morning. He opened the door and walked in to see Morgan changed and sitting on the end of the bed. He went over to his bag and had just finished putting his cloths away when he was hit in the back. He straightened up quickly his step only faltering slightly as he took another hit this time to the back of the head. He turned gaining speed and stepped out of the way of a pillow that was coming right at him. He put his hands up to block the blow and grabbed at the pillow on its retreat. Getting hold of it he pulled it easily from Morgan’s hands as the man was kneeling on the bed. “What are you” he started but didn’t get the chance to say more as Morgan picked up another pillow that was by his side and swung again at him. He held up the pillow he’d confiscated and blocked before moving away. But Morgan was off the bed following him pressing the attack. “Stop that, we’re supposed to go to sleep” he huffed as he danced out of Morgan’s way and hopped on the bed and over the other side.

“Not a chance” Morgan slid over the corner of the bed following Reid and swung high and changed angles half way through his swing, getting around Reid’s block and hitting him around the middle. “You haven’t won the right to stop yet, I have all the hits” Morgan said getting in a hit to Reid’s leg to prove his point.

“Fine” Reid shot back before turning and pressing an attack of his own catching Morgan off guard and hitting him in the chest. “Take that” Reid swung again but almost missed as Morgan hit him seconds before his pillow caught Morgan.

They danced around the room for several minutes, hitting, evading, blocking, pushing and taunting each other. Soon they both had two pillows and were laughing and teasing about who was better, who was going to win and what the loser might have to do after it was over.

On a particularly hard swing hitting Morgan one of the pillows Reid was holding burst at the end and on his draw back sent feathers flying everywhere. Reid stopped short gasping only to be hit on both side by Morgan’s pillows. One of which also opened and caused a rain of feathers as Morgan swung it in an arch towards the ceiling before bringing it down again.

“Stop, Morgan stop” Reid breathed heavily his eyes wide at the mess they were making.

“Do you surrender?” Morgan hit him again causing more feathers to fly.

“Morgan, the feather, her pillows” Reid protested but held up a pillow to block Morgan’s attack.

“We’ll clean it up later I promise” Morgan hit him a few more times before Reid had had enough and hit back again. The war was on again and they fought for several more minutes, in a growing sea and rain of feathers. When they were each down to one pillow the other two now empty the contents littering the room Morgan changed tactics. As Reid lunged across the bed to hit him he blocked before letting go of his own pillow and grabbing Reid’s. He pulled causing Reid to over balance and come crashing down on him letting out a loud ompfing sound. Then reaching around the pillow with one hand he brought the other forward pushing the pillow light into Reid’s face as he began to tickle. His plan worked and Reid let go of the pillow to stop Morgan’s hands. He also let out a shriek into the pillow before laughing at which Morgan let the pillow slide away. Reid tried to get away and they rolled around a bit ending with Reid trapped on his back on the bed surrounded with feathers, Morgan continuing to tickle him to death.

“I surrender, I surrender” Reid finally gasped letting go of Morgan and sweeping his arms up and laying as still as possible.

Morgan stopped his attack and sat back breathing heavy watching Reid catch his breath. His friend looked tired but a lot happier and Morgan knew he wouldn’t think of the last case for some time to come. Morgan cocked his head to the side as he watched Reid an image popping into his head. Not only did the younger man look happier he looked heavenly. Mostly due to the feathers covering the bed. They were in Reid’s hair which was spread out haloing his head inner mixed with the brown. Reid’s arms had swept a pile up into an arching line from his shoulders upwards towards the headboard. A scattering of feathers had been dragged down as he brought his arms down lying in a thin sweeping layer to his sides. Somehow almost all the feathers were facing down making it look as if Reid had wings. It was very fitting and Morgan smiled before yawning. He looked over at the clock and noticed a lot more time had passed then he thought, and it was now very late. He was also very tired now that he thought about it. He looked back at Reid and noticed the younger man’s eyes were almost closed and his breathing had changed to very light. Morgan got up and made sure the bedside lamp was on before turning off the main light. His eyes adjusted quickly and he shook his head when the image of Reid as an angel was enhanced by the soft glow of the lamp making the feathers around him shine. He stood looking for a minute before moving over to the bed and laying gently next to a now sleeping Reid. It was warm enough to not need the blankets so Morgan just let them be. He could pull then up in a minute or two if they needed. He had drifted off to sleep before he knew it, half waking in the night when he thought he heard the door open and his team mate’s voices, but he couldn’t wake up enough to check and slipped back into a deeper sleep.

 

CMCMCMCMCMCM

 

Hotch and Rossi hadn’t been asleep long when they were woken by a loud thump. Neither of them moved till they heard another thump this one much softer but they had been listening for it.

“What is that?” Rossi sat up and Hotch got out of his bed and moved to the door. A couple more thumps could be heard then a muffled squeal.

“That came from the boys room” Hotch looked back at Rossi who shook his head.

“Please don’t let it be what I hope it’s not” Rossi grumbled as he climbed out of bed and joined Hotch. Hotch opened the door and looked out before opening it all the way. When he and Rossi stepped out and closed the door they found they had company. Prentiss and JJ and been woken up too and had also come to investigate. They had just reached the top of the steps. Hotch motioned for them to be quiet before they all started creeping down the hall to the room on the end. When they reached it everything was quite and no more sounds could be heard. They waited a few seconds before Hotch took hold of the door knob and slowly turned it easing the door open. Morgan and Reid were sound asleep side by side on the top of the bed. A bed covered in feathers with more around the room and two cloths that used to be pillows beside the bed.

“That is so cute” JJ whispered before holding her phone up for pictures almost making Hotch and Rossi do a double take.

“Always be prepared” Prentiss smirked and held up her own phone. As she took a picture Morgan began to stir and they all froze. He didn’t wake up and they all let out a breath.

“Alright back to bed” Hotch instructed as he began closing the door. When the door was closed they made their way back down the hall.

“We’ll see you in the morning, and save those pictures” Rossi said before he went back into the room he shared with Hotch. The girls went back down the stairs before Hotch followed Rossi into the room and climbing back into his own bed. He was asleep in no time and morning came all too soon.

 

CMCMCMCMCMCM

 

When Morgan woke in the morning Reid was already up sitting next to him and muttering about Hotch killing them. He sat up and the night before came back to him like a speeding truck. There were feathers everywhere and they were in a lot of trouble.

“This is all your fault” Reid gave Morgan’s shoulder a shove before he got up but his voice didn’t sound hateful or hurt.

“Relax we still have some time we can clean it up” Morgan got to his feet and stood surveying the room. Most of the feathers were concentrated on or around the bed, but there were still some all over reaching the door and far side of the room. “Let’s just put them all on the bed to start with and we’ll go from there.” Morgan started scooping up feathers from around the bed and putting them in the middle. Reid began helping starting from the outer reaches of the room. It didn’t take as long as they thought to gather up the feathers into a large pile.

“Now what Morgan, we can’t just leave them here” Reid looked at his friend. Morgan reached down next to the bed and pulled up the almost empty pillow cases from the night before.

“Now we fill em back up” Morgan passed him one and took a handful of feathers and began stuffing his pillow. Reid did the same fluffing his now and then to make sure it was even. When both pillows were full again Morgan checked the room to make sure the hadn’t missed any. “You go change I’ll see if the girls have something in their bags to fix this with” Morgan took the pillows and set them on the bed so they wouldn’t tip over and spill. Reid nodded took out cloths for the day and went to change in the bathroom. Morgan changed quickly before heading downstairs to seek out the girls. However they weren’t in their room and Morgan could hear them laughing in the kitchen with Hotch, Rossi and their host. Sighing and straightening up he walked into the kitchen.

“Well if it isn’t sleeping beauty” Prentiss noticed him first. All the others had smiles on their faces as she addressed him and for a moment he almost retreated.

“Very funny, it’s not that late, besides there was something I had to straighten up.” Morgan shot back then he turned to JJ “Could I see you for a moment.”

“What do you need?” JJ looked amused but just sat at the table. Before he could answer Reid shuffled in stopping next to Morgan and looking rounds the group. Prentiss smiled, Rossi eyes lit up in amusement and JJ laughed echoed by Winnie.

“I know just what you need but don’t you worry, I’ll take care of it” Winnie said good naturedly after she had finished laughing.

Morgan and Reid just stood there looking at their team mates and friends before Hotch walked over and pulled something from Reid’s hair. When he stepped back they saw it was a feather.

“Have an interesting night did we?” Rossi joked as he sat down at the table.

Both Morgan and Reid looked down, and Reid’s cheeks were red causing the group to laugh again.

“Don’t worry about it, my boys used to do the same thing, although they were a lot younger” Winnie said at last. “Those old things have been mended so many times I am surprised I keep them.”

“We cleaned everything up mam” Morgan looked up and Reid followed suit.

“It’s alright, thank you for that, now sit down so we can all eat some breakfast” Winnie smiled before turning back to the stove.

Morgan and Reid helped her set the table, clear everything away and do the dishes when they were finished. While they were doing the dishes Winnie had gone up and fixed the pillows. Soon the team was ready to leave and Winnie had agreed to take them to the airstrip in her old station wagon. Hotch had gone into a side room that was an office with Winnie as the team packed the car. When he came out and right before they left he pulled Morgan and Reid aside to talk to them about giving Winnie an extra thanks for the slight mess they caused. They agreed they would before they left and they got into the car and headed out of town.

After they had all gotten their things aboard the jet Morgan and Reid hung around the car to talk to Winnie. “We are really sorry about the pillows” Morgan started.

“We can cover the cost to get new ones” Reid offered.

“It’s quite alright boys I understand” Winnie smiled at them. “What you do is hard and sometimes you need to let go. You cleaned up the mess and were going to fix everything, nothing else was broken either. So don’t you worry about it, besides Aaron gave me something to make up for it.” She took out her phone and held it up for them to see. The small screen had a picture of them laying on the bed surrounded by feathers. “It’s time to go now if you don’t want to miss your plane” Winnie said as Reid turned red for the second time that morning and even Morgan looked a little flushed. Winnie put her phone away and headed back to her car as Morgan and Reid got on the plane sitting side by side on the couch.

After the plane had taken off and they had been flying for a while Morgan and Reid finally relaxed enough to stretch out. But neither one was too comfortable as they kept thinking about the picture on Winnie’s phone. If the team had given her one they had no doubt Garcia had received one. Going back to the office with that hanging over their heads was not going to give them peace for a while. As they moved about Hotch stepped into view and they stopped to look at him.

“Winnie and I thought you might like these for the trip back” Hotch held out two fluffy pillows and the whole plane filled with laughter. They were the pillows from the night before, and both Reid and Morgan took them reluctantly. “Try not to make a mess on the jet” Hotch warned before going to sit back up front.

“Next time?” Morgan nodded his head towards the others in a low voice swinging the pillow a bit.

“Yes” Reid nodded and settled back with his pillow a smile on his face.


End file.
